{"id":8122,"date":"2026-04-10T13:02:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/vance-warns-iran-against-trying-to-play-us-as-he-heads-to-pakistan-for-peace-talks-bbc\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T13:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T13:02:17","slug":"vance-warns-iran-against-trying-to-play-us-as-he-heads-to-pakistan-for-peace-talks-bbc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/10\/vance-warns-iran-against-trying-to-play-us-as-he-heads-to-pakistan-for-peace-talks-bbc\/","title":{"rendered":"Vance warns Iran against 'trying to play' US as he heads to Pakistan for peace talks – BBC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Israel and Hezbollah Exchange Strikes
BBC News
This video can not be played
Lebanon will only take part in talks with Israel next week if a ceasefire is in place beforehand, a senior official tells the BBC<\/a>
There has been confusion over whether the US-Iran ceasefire covers Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based, with mediator Pakistan saying it does and both the US and Israel saying it doesn't
It is a ceasefire in name only and every aspect of it is flawed, <\/i>writes our security correspondent<\/i><\/a>
Meanwhile, Donald Trump criticises Iran over its handling of the Hormuz strait – <\/i>here's the latest on the vital oil shipping route<\/i><\/a>
In a series of Truth Social posts, Trump says Iran is doing a "very poor job" managing the passage<\/a>, where 20% of the world's oil passes, and warns Tehran against "charging fees to tankers going through"
It comes ahead of peace talks scheduled to take place in Pakistan this weekend, with US Vice President JD Vance and an Iranian delegation due to attend
Will that meeting go ahead? "Not finalised yet," a senior foreign ministry official in Tehran <\/i>tells our chief international correspondent<\/i><\/a>
Edited by Matt Spivey and Charlotte Hadfield, with reporting from BBC Persian and teams across the Middle East
While Pakistan is gearing up to welcome US and Iranian delegations for expected talks, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues.<\/i>
A short while ago the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it detected rockets launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon to Israel.
The IDF says that it struck the premises used to launch the rockets to "remove the threat".
In a separate recent update, Israel's emergency service Magen David Adom says that no casualties have been reported following rocket fire towards northern Israel.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Carrie Davies<\/strong>
Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan<\/span>
In Islamabad, the security cordon is extending.
While the BBC was filming in the D-Chowk area of the city, near the President's House, the main crossroads in front of parliament, the police began to move TV crews back.
A spokesman for the Islamabad police told the team that they expected the delegations to arrive shortly, although they did not confirm who would be arriving or when.
Around the red zone \u2013 the area of the capital with the majority of government buildings and foreign embassies \u2013 has been closed off with barbed wire.
There are an increased number of checkpoints in the city and less traffic on the streets. Police, army and paramilitaries are on the streets to provide security and international journalists are landing in the city.
As yet there is no official confirmation that either of the delegations have arrived in the capital.
Yesterday, Iran\u2019s ambassador to Pakistan posted that their delegation would be landing that night, but deleted the post within an hour.
There\u2019s also been no official schedule announced by Pakistan, but the White House had previously said that the talks would take place on Saturday morning. Islamabad is waiting.
In Tehran, Iran, buildings have been reduced to rubble during the conflict
A ceasefire between Iran and the US is in place and peace talks are expected this weekend, but strikes continue between Hezbollah and Israel.
Throughout the latest developments, the BBC has been speaking to those affected and reporting across the region:
In Iran<\/b>, where fighting has been paused for two weeks, 15-year-old Ali – not his real name – tells the BBC's Fergal Keane that due to the war "even the smallest sound causes my brain to react very badly".
"I should be able to study, to work and become an independent person in the future. [I should] not be constantly worrying about politics, living in stress, thinking about bombs falling\u2026[with] endless fears," he says.
In Lebanon, <\/b>war rages on. The guns were supposed to have fallen silent, writes the BBC's Hugo Bachega<\/a>, but just as the region was breathing a sigh of relief, Israeli jets conducted a 10-minute blitz across Lebanon.
He's been reporting on the ground in the Lebanese capital Beirut, in the video below you can watch his latest report from the site of an Israeli airstrike:
This video can not be played
BBC at the site of Israeli air strikes in Beirut
In Israel, <\/b>the BBC's Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson reported from the scene of a strike in Haifa, northern Israel before the conditional ceasefire was agreed. Watch Lucy's report below.
Analysis:<\/b> <\/b><\/i>Ceasefire or no ceasefire, the Middle East's reshuffling is not yet done, <\/i>our international editor Jeremy Bowen writes<\/a>, and the biggest obstacle to the success of talks between the US and Iran is the total absence of trust.<\/i>
This video can not be played
'Daily gamble of Russian roulette': BBC at site of Iran strike on Haifa, Israel
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Marc Ashdown<\/strong>
Business correspondent<\/span>
The price of oil has become a key indicator for the impact of the turmoil in the Middle East.
But while the price of the benchmark – Brent Crude – has become something of an obsession over the past month, it doesn't really reflect the true daily cost of this precious commodity.
Brent crude – bobbing around the $95 mark at the time of writing – reflects the future price of a barrel of oil, to be delivered in about two months time.
However, if you want a barrel of the black stuff delivered immediately, the price is far higher.
London Stock Exchange data has Forties Blend – the indicator for prompt delivery – pegged at around $147 a barrel. That's the price Asian and European refineries are having to pay to secure immediate supplies.
It rarely reaches this level, and last spiked to similar highs in 2008, just before the global financial crisis.
It demonstrates that while the future price of oil might be elevated and extremely volatile at the moment, the impact on daily deliveries is far more painful, and could spell even higher prices for fuel, food and everyday goods.
Keir Starmer has just boarded a plane at Doha international airport – bringing an end to his three-day trip to the Gulf states.
Qatar's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi bid the prime minister farewell.
On Wednesday Starmer met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah and on Thursday he travelled to the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.
You can catch up on the comments the UK PM made before he left the region in our previous post.<\/i>
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is ending his trip to the Gulf states, says most of the discussions he had with senior officials concerned "the practical plan" on getting boats through the Strait of Hormuz.
The critical waterway typically sees 20% of the world's gas and oil passing through, but Iran has threatened to strike vessels that cross the strait without permission, causing crossings to drop.
"This conflict is going to define us for a generation and we must respond, and we will respond, with strength," Starmer says, as he explains that he discussed "collective self-defence" with leaders of the Gulf states.
On Thursday night, Starmer held a call with US President Donald Trump, where Downing Street says the two leaders discussed the current ceasefire, as well as the need "for a practical plan to get shipping moving" through the Strait of Hormuz.
Looking ahead, the prime minister accepts that the current ceasefire is "fragile", and tells broadcasters that "there can't be tolling or restrictions on that navigation" through the Strait of Hormuz as part of any long-term peace deal in the region.
As attention turns to possible talks between Lebanon and Israel next week, we can bring you a recap of what we heard from Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister yesterday.<\/i>
Iran has made it clear that it believes Lebanon was covered by the two-week ceasefire agreement brokered with the US – something Washington and Israel dispute.
On Thursday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told the BBC continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon are a "grave violation" of the agreement.
At least 303 people were killed on Wednesday in air strikes on what Israel called Hezbollah command centres and military sites, the Lebanese health ministry said.
Khatibzadeh told Radio 4's Today programme that the US must choose "between war and ceasefire" and that it "cannot have cake and eat it at the same time".
This video can not be played
Israeli attacks were 'grave violation' of ceasefire – Iran deputy FM
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Samantha Granville<\/strong>
Reporting from Beirut<\/span>
A senior official in the Lebanese president's office has just confirmed to the BBC that Lebanon will participate in direct negotiations with Israel next week if, and only if, there is a ceasefire in place beforehand.
The day and time of the meeting has not been set.
Direct talks between Lebanon and Israel are not unprecedented, but they are unusual.
The two countries generally communicate via intermediaries, such as the US.
Efforts to establish negotiations have been ongoing since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024, with US envoys previously mediating indirect talks between the two sides.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Frank Gardner<\/strong>
Security correspondent<\/span>
Prior to this war, only six weeks ago, Iran was boxed in by sanctions and it wasn't targeting the Strait of Hormuz.
Now it\u2019s proposing a toll charge and wants its military to be able to check ships' cargo, which is unacceptable to the Gulf states. In other words, Iran is exercising its dominance over the Strait of Hormuz because it's got geography on its side.
It's impossible to keep the Strait of Hormuz open by force; there are so many inlets and caves that Iran only has to hide one missile and maintain the threat of an attack, that's all you need for insurers to make it unaffordable for ships to travel.
Iran doesn\u2019t need its navy, it just needs its coast.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Frank Gardner<\/strong>
Security correspondent<\/span>
This ceasefire is more full of holes than a piece of Swiss cheese. It is a ceasefire in name only.
Every aspect of it is flawed; while most of the bombing has stopped, it hasn't completely stopped the shooting and Kuwait says it came under attack from Iranian drones in the last few hours.
Meanwhile, the war is raging in Lebanon as Israel doesn\u2019t consider that the ceasefire applies to it, while Pakistan and Iran consider that it does.
Then there's the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which 20% of the world's oil and gas flows, and Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to say he's very upset that Iran hasn't been honouring its deal.
Iran is in a very strong position. Even though it has been battered militarily with hundreds, if not thousands of its missiles and drones destroyed, it can rebuild those and get more help from Russia and China, so that's only temporary.
Because the Islamic Republic has survived this war, Iran has effectively broken out of its box.
In my next post, I'll bring you more on how Iran is utilising its geography to maintain its strong position.<\/i>
By Dan Isaacs<\/b>
A total of 15 vessels have made the crossing through the Strait of Hormuz since a two-week ceasefire in the US-Israel war with Iran was announced on Tuesday night, according to data from the tracking website MarineTraffic.
This compares with an average of almost 140 each day prior to the outbreak of the conflict.
Of these, four of the ships were tankers carrying either oil, gas or chemicals. The rest are listed as container ships of various types.
Although the ceasefire included a condition that "safe passage" be granted through one of the world\u2019s most important shipping lanes, vessels in the area have been warned by Iran they will be "targeted and destroyed" if they attempt to make the journey without permission.
Iran\u2019s effective closure of the strait after the conflict began five weeks ago has left almost 800 ships stranded in the Gulf, most of them loaded with cargo, according to shipping analysts Lloyd\u2019s List.
Israeli strikes have continued in Lebanon since the ceasefire agreement, with Israel stating it remains in a 'state of war' against Iran-backed Hezbollah
Concerns over "serious ceasefire violations" in Lebanon have been raised by the Pakistani and French foreign ministers.
In a call between France's Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot and his counterpart in Pakistan, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Barrot said France supported Pakistan\u2019s efforts toward a diplomatic pathway for "lasting peace and stability in the region".
"Both leaders expressed concern over serious ceasefire violations made in Lebanon and underscored the importance of full implementation and respect for the ceasefire," a statement from Pakistan's foreign ministry says.
It comes ahead of peace talks between the US and Iran that are due to take place in Pakistan this weekend, but uncertainty remains over whether they will go ahead<\/a>.
As our chief international correspondent has just reported, Pakistan is preparing to host Iran and US delegations for peace talks this weekend.
The nation is a key mediator in facilitating discussions between the two countries, who have agreed to a two-week conditional ceasefire. Here's what we know about the agreement between the US and Iran.<\/a>
Pictures show heightened security in Islamabad, as roads around the city\u2019s Red Zone – where many government buildings and embassies are based \u2013 are also shut, according to our Pakistan correspondent.<\/a>
Armed soldiers line the streets of Islamabad, Pakistan, as roads are closed
Members of the media report in front of President House
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Lyse Doucet<\/strong>
Chief international correspondent<\/span>
In Islamabad, Pakistan, security is heightened ahead of the expected peace talks this weekend
Is it all systems go for the high-level high-stakes US-Iran talks set to take place in Islamabad on Saturday?
\u201cNot finalised yet\u201d was the reply of a senior foreign ministry official in Tehran when I asked on Friday morning.
Reports yesterday that the Iranian delegation had arrived in the Pakistani capital were denied, and one post deleted, from social media.
But preparations are advancing in Pakistan in a way which seems to leave no doubt these discussions will take place as planned.
Iran\u2019s Tasnim news agency, close to the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported yesterday that the talks were suspended as long as there was no ceasefire in Lebanon.
Iran\u2019s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, also made that clear in his interview with the BBC\u2019s Today programme.
It may be brinkmanship but Iran confronts a challenging choice – abandon Hezbollah, its most important ally, or endanger critical diplomacy?
The frantic talks to reach a ceasefire went down to the wire and so too, it seems, do these talks.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Jacob Phillips<\/strong>
Live reporter<\/span>
The Strait of Hormuz has become a key sticking point in the US-Israeli war with Iran after Tehran effectively closed the shipping route.
US President Donald Trump's demands for a two-week ceasefire hinged on Tehran reopening the strait – which has been agreed.
However, yesterday Trump accused Iran of breaching a ceasefire deal<\/b> and says it is "doing a very poor job" of allowing oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.
In an earlier post on his social media site Truth Social he warned Iran "better not be charging fees to tankers"<\/b> passing through the vital waterway.
BBC Verify has found<\/a> at least nine ships have crossed the strait<\/b> since an uncertain ceasefire was announced. Before the war, around 128 ships passed through the choke point each day.
The Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to Trump about the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving<\/b> after visiting the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to underline the importance of reopening the strait.
The International Maritime Organization says it is supporting 20,000 seafarers in the region – many of whom remain stranded on ships<\/b> unable to exit the strait<\/b>.
Meanwhile, international oil prices are just shy of $100 a barrel<\/b> after prices plunged following the ceasefire announcement.

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There's another operational update from Hezbollah now.<\/i>
The Shia Muslim political and military group, based in Lebanon, says it's targeted a northern Israeli town in response to what it describes as Israel's "violation" of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement.
Hezbollah says it fired rockets at Kiryat Shmona, near the Israel-Lebanon border, at 10:00 local time (06:00 BST) on Friday, and Misgav Am in the Upper Galillee region of northern Israel.
"This response will continue until the Israeli-American aggression against our country and our people ceases," it says in the statement.
Israel has not commented.
Starmer met Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa during his visit
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled to the UAE<\/b>, Bahrain<\/b> and Qatar<\/b> on Thursday, having visited Saudi Arabia<\/b> the day before.
Downing Street says talks with all leaders focused on condemning Iranian attacks on Gulf states, underlining the importance of upholding the ceasefire, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
After meeting with leaders in the region, Starmer spoke to US President Trump on the phone.
Starmer outlined the "UK's effort to convene partners" to agree a plan to open the strait<\/a> and discussed with Trump the need for "a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible", No 10 says.
Images taken in Tel Aviv, Israel, overnight show residents running to shelters following warnings of incoming strikes, reportedly from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel's emergency services, Magen David Adom, said at about 01:30 local time (23:30 BST) that no injuries had been reported following the strike alert, but "a few people sustained injuries while heading to a shelter".
Hezbollah says its forces launched an attack against a gathering of Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon on Friday morning.
The group says it launched a "rocket barrage" toward the Israeli forces near the town of Al-Khiyam, in Nabatieh, at about 03:50 BST.
Israel has not commented.
\"\"<\/span><\/span>Adam Goldsmith<\/strong>
Live reporter<\/span>
Strikes continue to hit Lebanon without a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah
Strikes between Israel and Lebanon have continued overnight and US President Donald Trump has criticised Iran's handling of the Strait of Hormuz. Here's a brief catch up of the latest developments:
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